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Untitled - Titian 1 by Feliks Szyszko, 1991.
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MY MUSEUM OF THE IMAGINATION
A Exhibition of Works by Feliks Szyszko
Kosciuszko Foundation Visiting Professor of Art, University at Buffalo
April 28 - May 12, 2000
Opening Reception - 6:00 p.m., Friday, April 28
Empire State College Gallery - Third Floor
Market Arcade - 617 Main Street, Buffalo
Professor Szyszko, a resident of Krakow, Poland, is a practicing artist of international renown.
Torn Reproduction by Feliks Szyszko, 1985.
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Artist's Statement
My interest in the images of people and things as works of art transformed by the mass culture began as early as the late sixties. I recall my late childhood when I came into contact with old art reproductions, photos, illustrated books and magazines. All of these items that I came across were an important part of my personal realm. For me this realm was a kind of "asylum" with the overwhelming reality of the totalitarian system in Poland, under which I grew up.
Many of such objects and images would later vecome materials for my work, particularly those directly relevant to art and its history. The hierarchy of art works that had been created by art history over time has never been of great importance to me. In my work, I "quote" famous masterpieces as well as second-rate items. Frequently, the images are old, discolored, damaged pieces, which have little in common with the originals. Covered with thick layers of dust, many were found in old attics or basements just waiting to be revived.
Through my personal "grammar," I project them onto paper or canvas by the process of drawing. That process of creation is much more important to me than the final product, thus I avoid correcting and retouching the pieces while working on them.
Moreover, during the last few years my art has reflected the memories from my journeys to Swedish Lapland. My interest is in the iconography of Lappish signs and symbols. I have decided to use this particular fragment of my "Museum of the Imagination" a material for my work. I have created several series of painting devoted to the northern cultures, religions and the landscapes of the "Roof of Europe." Currently, I am continuing with this theme.
Untitled - after Durer II by Feliks Szyszko, 1996.
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